


And That Makes Three

by Sparklypuppy05



Series: The Energy Children Universe [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Non-Sexual Age Play
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-09-05 16:58:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16814737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparklypuppy05/pseuds/Sparklypuppy05
Summary: Amy and Rory would do anything to stay with the Doctor - even become one of his own.





	1. Explaining

**Author's Note:**

> Set at the end of The Girl Who Waited.

This couldn't be happening. Not at all. The Doctor... He couldn't leave them. Not after everything they'd been through together. He couldn't just drop them off with some fancy house in London and expect them to forget about him. All sorts of thoughts flew through Amy's head, and she was only barely aware of Rory standing behind her. They both stared at the Doctor, who turned away wordlessly.

"Please, Doctor," Amy said quietly. "Please. What can we do to stay?"

"I'm with Amy," Rory agreed. "You can't just leave us here, even if it is safer. We both want to stay with you, stay as travellers."

"It would be impossible to keep you safe," The Doctor said in a matter-of-fact tone, looking over his shoulder at the pair of them. "I can't risk either one of you dying. The only way to keep you safe would be something that you'd never agree to, and I'm not going to force you into it. Please, stay here. Where you're safe. I'll visit once in a while, I promise. Just... Stay safe."

"Tell us what it is," Amy said suddenly. "Tell us. Now. You don't know if we'd never agree to it or not if we don't know what it is."

The Doctor sighed, looking away once more. He walked over to the TARDIS, going inside, and both Amy and Rory obstinately followed. Amy gave the Doctor an angry stare once they were inside, arms crossed across her chest. The Doctor looked at them both for a few beats, pausing, before giving in. He beckoned them up to the console, and they walked up to him, eager.

"First things first, I want you to know this," The Doctor said. "I'm not forcing you into anything. Not now, not ever. Understand?" Amy and Rory both nodded quickly, not saying anything. He sighed, continuing.

"Okay," He said quietly. "Time Lords reproduce mainly via transforming willing participants of other races into Gallifreyans, as with regeneration, pregnancy is... tricky, to say the least. By using otherwise-excess regeneration energy to both physically transform cells, and mentally transform minds, any creature can become a Time Lord or Lady. This is the only way I could keep you both safe - if you were one of my own kind, you could regenerate if you were seriously sick or injured, allowing you to, well, escape death."

"Okay then, do it," Rory said with a shrug. "I'm definitely up for it. The things that you can do are pretty crazy, and if the cost of that is two hearts and changing how I look every once in a while, sure."

"Me, too," Amy agreed. "I'm not going to leave you without a fight, Doctor."

"There's more of a cost than just that," The Doctor continued. "To properly deal with the transformation, the bodies of the Time Lord children temporarily revert to a more childlike state - both mentally and physically. You would be forced to act like children, maybe even losing control of your bladders or bowels, or experiencing muscle weakness. I'm not going to let either of you do that - you'd just be miserable."

A few beats of silence echoed through the room. Amy and Rory gave each other a glance - was the Doctor serious? Was this actually how most Time Lords were created? And even if it was... Did it matter? It wasn't like either of them had experienced the best of childhoods - Amy's parents were both gone, and Rory had been the loner and unpopular kid. Would it really hurt to have another go at being a kid?

"Would we?" Amy blurted out. "Would we really be miserable? My parents are dead. Rory was unpopular all through his childhood, and his only friend other than me and Mels literally died. We'd do anything to be with you, and this seems like the perfect thing for us all. I don't know about Rory, but I'm willing to do it."

"I'm okay with it, too," Rory interjected. "I mean... Yeah. I guess that it would be good to have another go at it all. I mean, as long as I get to be with Amy, and see all the cool stuff you've been showing us... I'm up for it. So, yeah. Uh, how do you say it? Officially, y'know? I... consent, I guess? Yeah. That'll do. Yeah."

The Doctor paused, looking at the pair of them in almost pure wonder. It was like he'd never seen them before - or maybe he hadn't. Maybe he was just looking closer, looking at them in more detail than ever before. The look in his eyes was one of pure joy, love, and hope. And trust.

"Oh, you two," The Doctor murmured. "The two Ponds. The most magnificent humans I've ever met, and that's saying something. You two... Looking at you... There's no lie. No deep-down regret or shame or despair. You aren't doing this just for me, are you? You truly want to do this, both of you. And... well. Okay." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "Are you both very, very, very sure? There's no backing out once the process has begun."

"I'm sure," Amy said instantly.

"And so am I," Rory agreed.

The Doctor looked them both over, before smiling in glee, his expression one of pure joy. Neither Amy nor Rory could begin to guess what he was thinking, but it was probably something along the lines of _My Amy! My Rory! New Time Lords! Yes yes yes! They like me enough to do this! They really do!_

He didn't voice any of these probable thoughts, instead, stepping forwards, and hugging both Amy and Rory tightly in turn. There were no complaints from either, only thankfulness that the Doctor was finally willing to just do it. He took a step back, gazing at the pair in delight.

"We'll start tomorrow," He announced. "You two can get some rest, you have a big day when you wake up. I have some work to do."

Amy and Rory left the console room, heading to the room that they usually slept in. As they walked, they exchanged fond glances - at long, long last, they'd be able to stay adventuring with the Doctor forever.


	2. The Soon-To-Be Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy and Rory take the first step.

The next morning was... interesting, to say the least. Amy and Rory had blearily stumbled into what they thought was the control room at least seventeen times, before finally hitting the mark. The first thing they saw on entering was the Doctor, bright and energetic as always, dashing around the room, excitedly preparing for something or another. He screeched to a stop when he saw Amy and Rory, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Amy! Rory! You're awake!" He exclaimed in delight, dashing down to meet them. He gave them both a huge hug, which each of them accepted without fuss. "Now, today is a very big day. I've pre-prepared a little bit, but I need both of you to be comfy and happy before we start. Follow me."

He grabbed each of them's hands, dragging them out of the console room, and starting to walk quickly along the metallic, silvery corridors. They quickly came to a large, dark wood door. A pattern of circles was engraved on the door - two large circles close together, with a smaller circle towards the bottom of it. There were two indents in the smaller circle - one large with three dots, one only a semicircle with a small line coming off it, and an even smaller circle inside. Finally, there was a circle inside the smaller circle, towards the bottom, with a final circle half in, half out of that one.

The Doctor dragged them inside, and Amy gasped loudly as soon as they stepped in. The room was set up like a nursery of sorts. Two beds with dark, TARDIS-blue covers sat in the far back corners, a window showing a normal, downtown-London neighbourhood letting light in. There was a toy chest and a full bookshelf next to the door, and a plush, bright white carpet separated the beds. A dark wood chest of drawers stood next to the wall at the foot of each bed, and on closer inspection, both beds had four pull-up cot sides, complete with bars.

"This is for you two," The Doctor said happily, letting go of the pair of them. "It's set up for around ages 4 to 5 right now, but I could easily go lower if I had to."

"This is... crazy, honestly," Rory remarked, looking around. "You're doing all of this for us."

"You've done so much for me, both of you," The Doctor replied softly. "And besides, you're technically going to be my children by tonight. And let me tell you right now - Gallifreyans are _very_ protective parents."

"Can we just do this already?" Amy asked, sounding a little irritated. "Yeah, we're gonna be your kids. We're gonna be little again. And quite honestly, I want to be there ASAP."

"You two stay right there, then," The Doctor said confidently. He jogged out of the room, leaving Amy and Rory to give each other confused glances. He returned a few minutes later, holding a cup of what looked like a dark orange, glowing liquid in each hand. "It's pure regeneration energy," He explained. "It's normally only secreted when a Time Lord or Lady is regenerating, but it can be expressed to feed a child. You have to drink it raw to start the process, but is normally diluted later on, except for when nursing."

" _Nursing!? _" Rory asked, completely bewildered.__

__"Be quiet," The Doctor said, forcing a cup into his hands, "And drink this." He gave Amy the other cup. "Are both of you ready?" They both nodded wordlessly. "Go ahead." Both Amy and Rory practically downed the glowing liquid. It tasted odd. Like incredibly sugary golden syrup, but more metallic, or smoked honey._ _

__As soon as they had both finished the drink, an odd sensation started occurring - like popping candy, or gentle fireworks in both of their abdomens, sparking and roaring like hot flares. Amy didn't even flinch, staying calm and cool, her trust in the Doctor overriding the strange feeling. Rory, on the other hand, immediately began to panic. Being a nurse, he knew exactly how unnatural the sensation was, and immediately placed one hand on his stomach, pressing down hard. The Doctor immediately pulled him close, making a quiet shushing noise, and it was quite hard to deny that the Doctor was certainly starting his job before the gunshot had even truly sounded._ _

__As soon as the sensation had faded, the Doctor carefully laid Rory back onto the closest bed, making sure to keep his head clear of the headboard. He turned around, looking at Amy._ _

__"Lie down, Amy," He said, his voice stern, yet kind. Amy snorted, doing so._ _

__"Okay, _Daddy_ ," She said in a teasing voice. The Doctor gave her a smile, before sitting down on the floor underneath the window, sighing happily. He immediately froze when he heard a soft sniffling noise coming from his left side - the side he had placed Rory down on the bed on._ _

__"Amy, go to the console room _now_ ," He said sternly, standing up. Amy immediately did as such, leaving the room, eyes wide. Rory was facing towards the wall, curled into a fetal position, sniffling loudly. The Doctor knew what was going on - sometimes, the regeneration energy would hit somebody hard and fast, causing them to fall into headspace faster than normal. This was what had happened to Rory - the other man had strong waves of regeneration energy flying off him, and Rory would never, ever usually cry in front of the Doctor._ _

__"Are you okay, Rory?" The Doctor asked quietly, sitting down on the bed next to him. "What's wrong?" He prepared himself for a long day involving plenty of crying - he hardly doubted that such a traumatic experience would bode well._ _

__"Everything!" Rory's voice was thick with emotion, and the Doctor noted that he sounded similar to how he did at Demon's Run. Also, despite being mentally a child, Rory was still speaking as an adult would. Interesting. And confusing for his poor boy's mental state. "Everything feels weird, and looks weird, and then Amy is competent enough to go and call you _Daddy_ whilst I'm over here crying my eyes out like a pathetic idiot! I can't do anything right, not even be a baby!"_ _

__Oh._ _

__Ohhh._ _

__Ohhhhhhhhhhh._ _

__"Oh, Rory," The Doctor said, his voice kind and sympathetic. "It's okay to cry. I know that the sensation that the regeneration energy gave you made you panic, and I should've made absolutely sure that you're okay. And Amy was only joking about calling me Daddy. It's your choice when to do anything, unless you need it for medical or mental health reasons. You're doing everything right. It's okay."_ _

__The Doctor tucked himself up against Rory's back, holding him close, and making kind shushing noises, occasionally verbally reassuring him. Eventually, Rory fell asleep, and the Doctor immediately stood up, picking him up as he did so. He exited the room, poking his head into the console room as he passed it, gesturing to Amy to follow him._ _

__The trio eventually arrived in front of a dark wooden door with a golden doorknob, this one without any carvings. Inside, there was a large, round bed with TARDIS-blue covers and golden freckles. Books were scattered everywhere, trinkets and well-loved items adorning the shelves and walls. It was obvious that this was the Doctor's own room. The Doctor laid Rory, still-asleep, down on the bed, tucking him under the covers. He slipped into the bed beside him, and Amy tucked herself in as well, hugging the Doctor tightly from behind. The three of them fell asleep like that, content. The Doctor, and his soon-to-be children._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Who liked that? Comments feed my muse, so do kudos. Have a great day! :D


	3. Discipline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor is forced to discipline Amy.

The next few days were normal in the strangest way possible. They seemed both long and short at the same time, bright and shady, fiery with excitement and cold with mundanity. It became not uncommon for either Amy or Rory to fall asleep with the mind of an adult, and awake with the mind of a toddler. They would sometimes shift in and out of conscious thinking, helped along by soothing words from the Doctor.

The strangest part of it all was the love. The Doctor had always been oddly protective of both Amy and Rory, but ever since they'd began the feeds of glowing, smoked honey-tasting regeneration energy that seemed to happen twenty or more times a day, he'd turned it up to 11 - no pun intended. The Doctor hadn't let either of them out of his sight, always watching over them either in person or via cameras.

There were loving touches, worried glances, soft materials against skin, soothing words, protective growls, nervous yelps, tight bear hugs that seemed to encompass the soul. One of the best parts, though, were the presents. The Doctor had already given Amy and Rory ( _His Amy, his Rory_ ) several off-Earth children's toys, and they were always both beautiful and incredibly fun.

The Doctor definitely knew that much himself. He had just settled Amy and Rory in the console room playing with a sort of jigsaw puzzle that was sort of like the Earth game Loops Of Zen. Both of them seemed incredibly engrossed in the game, so the Doctor had begun working nearby, researching and checking up on how best to care for... his children, he supposed. He pulled up the scanners, asking the TARDIS to scan Amy and Rory for their foreground and background headspaces.

_Amy Williams: Physical age, adult. Mental age, foreground - 5 years old. Mental age, background - adult._

_Rory Williams: Physical age, adult. Mental age, foreground - 4 years old. Mental age, background - adult._

As expected. They were mentally little, but still clinging onto their adult minds. He needed to find something that would help Amy and Rory fully age down into their headspaces. So far, he had his expectations fulfilled - Amy always acted slightly older, and Rory slightly younger. Amy didn't baulk at childish activities, whilst Rory was more hesitant. It fitted them both perfectly.

Honestly, he thought whilst musing, he expected that Rory would end up much younger than Amy. He had pegged Amy as a toddler, somewhere around the ages of two or three. Rory, on the other hand, the Doctor expected to age down to the age of a baby, maybe even a newborn. He definitely didn't mind that, though. Time Lord children who aged down to the mental age of a newborn were often the strongest and healthiest, and shedded the stresses of their past lives with ease.

The Doctor was snapped out of his thoughts by a loud wail from where Amy and Rory were playing. Amy had pushed Rory to the ground, and the Doctor wasn't convinced that they were simply playing. He should've expected it, to be honest - Amy's headstrong nature, occasional spats with Rory, and a childish mind in a fully-grown body would combine to definitely need a little discipline.

"Hey!" He called out, striding over. "Amy, leave Rory alone." Amy took her weight off Rory, giving the Doctor a glare. He wasted no time scooping Rory up, holding him still as the TARDIS scanned him for injuries. Luckily, none showed up except for a few bruises and a generally upset disposition. The Doctor immediately set to soothing Rory, relying on the TARDIS to watch Amy.

As soon as Rory was placated, the Doctor set him down on the other side of the console room, before moving a few toys onto the floor. He looked up, giving the TARDIS a “Watch my son or face the consequences” stare, before walking back over to Amy. He squatted down next to Amy, who was still sitting crossed-legged on the floor, arms crossed.

"You are not to harm anybody, by accident or not," He said sternly. It felt odd, disciplining her - yes, she was his child now, and therefore his responsibility, but only a few days prior, she had been his companion, his equal. However, it was very important to him that both Amy and Rory behaved well whilst in headspace. "Do you understand me? You are not to harm anybody, _especially_ Rory."

"No," Amy replied stubbornly. "You can't tell me what to do!"

"Yes, I can," The Doctor replied sternly and calmly. "I'm your father now, and you are my responsibility." He stood up, picking up Amy as he did so. She squirmed in his grip, but he simply held her tighter - if he dropped her, she could get hurt. The Doctor deposited her on a metal chair next to the TARDIS console. "You're going to stay there for five minutes, and if you get up, I'm starting the time again."

With that, the Doctor stood up, walking away to interact with Rory. He assumed that Rory would still be shaken up after being all but attacked by Amy. It suddenly came to him that for all intents and purposes, Amy and Rory were siblings. Genes didn't mean much to Gallifreyans, though, so they could be siblings now, and then married again later. It helped that they shared a last name, too. He could easily use a perception filter on Amy and Rory to make them seem like little kids, introduce himself as John Williams or something, and nobody would bat an eye.

Eventually, the Doctor instinctively knew that Amy's five-minute time-out had ended. He was a _Time_ Lord, after all - not a Space Lord, or a Gravity Lord, or a Spaghetti Lord, or something. He stood up, ruffling Rory's hair as he did, and walked back over to Amy. He was pleased to see that she hadn't moved, and he helped her get to her feet, walking her over to Rory, who looked up at them.

"Amy, apologise to Rory for what you did," The Doctor said calmly and sternly.

"Sorry, Rory," Amy said quietly, and Rory paused, before nodding.

"Good," The Doctor said proudly. "Now, you two go play." Both Amy and Rory nodded happily, and Amy plopped herself down next to Rory, continuing whatever game they had been playing before. The Doctor walked back over to the TARDIS console, and stood himself next to the screens, checking Amy and Rory's headspaces.

_Amy Williams: Physical age, adult. Mental age, foreground - 5 years old. Mental age, background - adult._

_Rory Williams: Physical age, adult. Mental age, foreground - 4 years old. Mental age, background - adult._

Well. They still hadn't changed. He didn't really care, though. He glanced up, looking over at Amy and Rory, and grinned happily. They were still Amy and Rory, and as long as they were Amy and Rory, he would love them both dearly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had a slightly different feel, I think. Thoughts?
> 
> Comments feed my muse, so does kudos. Have a great day! :D


	4. I Need Ideas! (NOT A CHAPTER)

Okay, so, I'm really sorry about this not being a chapter. I'm so, incredibly sorry. However, I have a problem - I have HUGE writer's block for this story, and I need some ideas. Fling your ideas, headcanons, and whatever else at me, and I'll see which ones inspire me to finally write something! Please - I really need ideas here. Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this, and if I get something good, a new chapter should be up within a few days!

\- Sparkly


	5. Nappies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An accident happens.

It had been two weeks, and the Doctor still couldn't figure out how to fully age Rory and Amy down. Whatever he tried, they stubbornly hung onto their adult minds - and they probably weren't even doing it consciously. Children's toys? Adult minds. Discipline? Adult minds. A child's bedtime? Adult minds. The worst part was, in the forefront of their minds, they were young. Rory was often three or younger, Amy was five or younger. However, their adult minds caused them to be distressed at the idea of being childish. The Doctor had to find a way to age his little ones down, and fast.

However, he might not need to find a way. The Doctor had been sitting and reading in the library, Rory and Amy fast asleep, when an alarm went off - that alarm meant that it was 7:15 AM Earth Time, and it was time to wake up Amy and Rory. He stood up with a sigh, heading into the nursery. Yes, that was what he had decided to refer to Amy and Rory's room as, because, well, it was a fitting description.

Unsurprisingly enough, both of his children had just begun to stir, moving around and making quiet noises. The Doctor found the process of humans waking up unnaturally adorable. How, exactly, did they manage to be so cute? He hardly knew, and probably never would. He walked over to Rory's bed to fully awake him (Rory often needed help getting ready), when he suddenly paused, noticing a darker spot against the bedsheets.

The Doctor bent down, patting the bedsheets. The material was damp. Rory's clothes were damp as well, he had suddenly spotted. The Doctor paused again for a moment, placing one hand on Rory's hip, as if pre-preparing himself to comfort the younger boy. His son would _not_ be happy once he noticed what had happened, because at this point, there was absolutely no denying it, not if you walked to the end of the universe and back. Rory had almost certainly wet himself.

Immediately after this action, Rory became fully aware. By the look in his eyes, the Doctor calculated that Rory had a headspace of about three years old, but was adult in the back of his mind, as always. The younger boy shifted slightly, before feeling the dampness. Tears immediately began to well in his eyes, knowing what had happened, and the Doctor sat down, shifting Rory so that he was curled up in the Doctor's lap.

"It's okay," The Doctor said quietly and soothingly. "It's okay, you know. You don't have to be embarassed. I know that you know what happened - you had an accident. But that's normal, you see. Human children have accidents, and you're human, at least a little bit, and currently a Time Lord child, so it's not like you'll be perfect. It's nothing to be ashamed of, okay?"

Rory pressed himself closer to the Doctor, as if he was clinging onto the very last of his adulthood. It was like saying the words 'Time Lord child' out loud had caused anything grown-up left in Rory to start to melt away, leaving his adult mind gripping to the last of the wreckage. The Doctor didn't do anything else. He wasn't going to force Rory to do anything, not in such a vulnerable, emotional state. Dealing with his adult headspace could be dealt with later.

"Now," The Doctor said, standing up - he was a Time Lord, so Rory wasn't very heavy at all to him - and laying Rory down on the bed. "I'm going to put you in a nappy, okay? Don't worry - it'll just be there so that if you have another accident, we can fix it quickly. Understand?" His words were quickly replied to with a nod, so the Doctor walked over to the dresser on Rory's side of the room, opening a drawer.

The Doctor paused for a moment, before extracting a nappy and baby powder from the drawer. He had decided to go with legitimate baby powder until he could get the kind that Time Lords made for their children - whilst adult nappies and pull-ups were a thing, adult baby powder wasn't. He walked back over to the bed, quickly giving Amy a glance - she was only just stirring. Good.

He wasted no time getting Rory into the nappy, not wanting to draw out a potentially emotionally hurtful experience. He quickly cleaned up, before adding a generous amount of powder, and putting on the nappy. Luckily, he'd practiced this before, so it took minimal fumbling to get it on. He put the powder back in the dresser, before lifting Rory onto his hip in order to change the bedsheets. Luckily, that went pretty well, too - he didn't want Rory sleeping in dirty bedsheets.

The Doctor looked at Rory, who was pretty much completely awake at this point. He slipped a finger under Rory's chin, raising it, and looking directly into the young boy's eyes. He suddenly blinked, recoiling slightly in shock. Was that...? No. It was impossible. Just that could free a soul completely? Just that?

It appeared that between finding out about the accident and finishing putting on the bedsheets, Rory had completely and entirely lost his adult headspace. The Doctor was... shocked at this development, to say the least. Just a nappy, and his son wasn't adult anymore? The solution had been staring him in the face this whole time! _Ugh._

"What about me?" A voice sounded from the other side of the room, and the Doctor spun around, still holding tightly onto Rory. Amy had since woken up, and was sitting on her bed, looking curiosly at the Doctor. "Will I need a nappy, too?" The Doctor paused, before carefully placing Rory down on his own bed, and walking over to Amy.

"Not a nappy," The Doctor said, "But I think it would do you good to start wearing pull-ups. Just in case, you know?" He walked over to Amy's own dresser, and pulled out a pull-up from the supply, more confident this time. "Can you put this on for me?" He asked Amy, passing the aged-down girl the pull-up.

Amy nodded furiously, and, with a little assistance, the pull-up was on within a few minutes. The Doctor couldn't believe the change - Amy was completely aged down to the mindset of a five year old girl. There wasn't a hint of adult in her. He paused for a moment, considering what had just happened. His two children were, now, really _children_. Wow.

He stood up, heading towards the door.

"I'm going to go and make breakfast now," He said. "See you two later - and play nicely!" He left the room, heading down the hall. As soon as he was out of earshot, he leaped up in the air, whooping with delight. "YES!" At long last, his little boy and little girl had let go of being adults. They were finally, properly, little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you ever sort of just sit down and wonder what happened for you to be here in life? Because that's me right now.
> 
> Comments and new ideas feed my soul, so do kudos. Have a great day! :D


	6. Going Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor brings Amy and Rory to a shopping centre on Liberi 5, otherwise known as the Age Play planet.

Liberi 5 - One of the only planets in the universe, apart from Gallifrey, where Time Lord children and the children of races born in similar manners could be safely raised. Colloquially known as "The Age Play Planet", Liberi 5 was the go-to place for both age-playing humans and other races, and Time Lords - or those of other species - looking to raise their children in peace.

Liberi 5 was paradise. A bustling planet, it had sections dedicated to all sorts of atmospheres, from domes housing recreated sections of planets, to human suburban neighbourhoods, to sprawling shopping centres. Littles and Time Lord children, among other classifications, were instantly recognised, along with their headspaces. This was the place where the Doctor had chosen to bring Amy and Rory for a couple of days. His goal? Get supplies, learn how to Dad (TM), and have Amy and Rory make some friends.

The Doctor had just landed the TARDIS in a designated ship parking area in the largest shopping centre - the Black Lion Shopping Centre, also known referred to as just Lion. Amy and Rory had dashed outside as soon as the ship landed, both overeager to see the planet. The Doctor had checked their headspaces beforehand - Amy was about five, as she'd settled into that headspace by now, and Rory was about three. They could get younger, though.

As he walked outside, the Doctor spun around, observing the scene around him. Shops selling all sorts of things, from furniture to sweets to toys to clothes lined the walls, punctuated by smaller stalls selling street food, water bottles, or other small items. Different races wandered the halls with their charges, almost all of them humanoid in nature. However, something was very worrying to him - neither Amy or Rory were anywhere in sight.

"AMY!" He called out, starting to walk in a direction that he thought the two had gone in. "RORY!" He repeated this several times, getting more and more worried each time, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around to see a woman standing behind him - she had long, brunette hair, and was wearing a long, sleek, black dress. Her own child - a male human little with short blonde hair - stood by her side, and he was thankful to see Amy and Rory next to her.

"Excuse me," She said politely, "But are these two yours?" She gestured to Amy and Rory as she spoke, and the Doctor nodded gleefully.

"Yes, they are!" He exclaimed, gathering Amy and Rory close. "Thank you so much. This is our first trip here, and they got a little excited, ran off without me. I'm the Doctor, and you are?"

"Samantha," The woman replied, smiling. "But call me Sam for short. And this is Ty - he's my little. It's good to meet you, Doctor. People talk about you a lot around here."

"Oh," The Doctor said, slightly nervous. "You've heard of me?"

"I have," Sam affirmed. "And I've got to say, Doctor, you're a good person. Find us if you need us, okay? And good luck."

"Thank you," The Doctor said, smiling. The two groups parted ways, the Doctor and Sam exchanging phone numbers - he had a feeling that he would need some advice later on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Doctor, in all honesty, was pretty darn happy. He had just brought Amy and Rory into one of the many clothing shops to buy them each a couple of more headspace-friendly outfits. Whilst his children's adult clothing fit them perfectly well, they didn't do well to accommodate nappies, or playtime, or anything else to do with children. He had changed both of them into their new clothes (Amy had insisted on black leggings and a dark pink T-shirt for now, her adult preferences bleeding through. However, Rory had been content with whatever the Doctor chose, which ended up being a patterned dark blue and dark green onesie.), before entering a furniture shop. It wasn't long before they were approached by an attendant, whom the Doctor immediately recognised.

"Jack!" The Doctor exclaimed gleefully. "Captain Jack Harkness, what are you doing working in a furniture shop on Liberi 5?"

"Because I got bored on Earth," Jack answered simply. "And to be honest, it's worth it to see you stroll in here with kids of your own."

"Ah, yes!" The Doctor said. "This is Amy - she's five - and Rory - he's three."

"Don't you worry about a thing," Jack announced. "I know _exactly_ what you'll need."

Turns out, Jack did know exactly what they needed. After two hours in the shop, the Doctor had bought two proper cribs for if either Amy or Rory got any younger - both of which had a four-beat pulse like a Time Lord's heartbeat, - two Earth solar system mobiles, a stroller that was bigger on the inside like the TARDIS, two high chairs designed for adult babies, and a _lot_ more stuff that the Doctor was only half-convinced that they actually needed.

"Thank you so much," The Doctor thanked Jack. "You really helped."

"You're welcome," Jack replied. "And you treat those kiddos well, you hear me?"

"I will," The Doctor affirmed. "I will."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Their last scheduled stop at the Black Lion was the largest toy shop there - Child's Paradise, they called it. The shop was twelve stories tall, and almost as large, if not larger, than a shopping centre all of its own. Eight of those floors were dedicated to toys, and on the other four floors, there was a soft play area, a zoo, an aquarium, a theme park, a room full of Lego, a food court, and a cinema. Quite honestly, it was less of a toy shop, more of a theme park in its own right. However, what the Doctor was bringing Amy and Rory there for was to pick out some toys each. Once they'd done that, he was going to take them into one of the human neighbourhood areas, so they could make some actual friends.

Amy and Rory's reactions to the shop were definitely quite different. Amy immediately zipped off into the aisles, ecstatic with joy at the towering shelves around her, stocked with any toy a child could imagine. However, Rory was completely overwhelmed. As the Doctor picked Rory up, balancing the younger boy on his hip, he began to wonder if it was a good idea to buy a device that could physically change Amy and Rory so they looked the same as their headspaces - it would certainly be easier to comfort Rory in particular.

"Overwhelmed, huh?" The Doctor said soothingly, rubbing Rory's back. "It's okay, nothing's out to get you. How about we let Amy go and look at the toys, and we can look at the stuffed animals together, okay? Good boy."

He quickly alerted Amy to the plans, telling her to choose six toys that she liked, then to go and wait by the stairs to the next floor. Once Amy had scurried off to find her own items - and inevitably get into trouble - the Doctor took Rory off to look at the soft toys. He had long decided that Rory, being a surprisingly shy child, would prefer soft, comforting toys, rather than games or loud devices.

After a lot of debating, gesturing, and so forth, Rory had picked out an Arctic Fox toy. A little wander around the store completed their search, and the pair quickly found Amy waiting beside the stairs, as she'd been told. Each of them had chosen out six toys, and only six - all of which were thoroughly checked over by the Doctor before checking out, just to ensure safety.

By the time they returned to the TARDIS, both Amy and Rory were exhausted. They were both practically asleep on their feet, and without a word, the Doctor herded them both to the nursery with a smile on his face, tucking them both in, before leaving the room. It looked like it was time for a nap before they went out to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My writer's block, all through this chapter: REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
> 
> Me: NO SHUT UP YOU USELESS WALNUT
> 
> Ideas, comments, and kudos are all equally welcome. Welcomeness levels = All three feed my soul. Have a great day! :D


	7. CALL FOR CHAPTER IDEAS!

Hello, everybody! Happy 2019!

First off, I'm terribly sorry for not updating this fic in so long. I currently have a huge case of writer's block, and I can't come up with any ideas for new chapters/plots. I'm currently taking a minor break from these fics in order to compile a dictionary of all the terms and names used in the ECU, which I hope to upload soon. However, I'm currently on the look-out for new ideas for individual chapters, and multi-chapter plots! So, if you have any ideas or things you'd wish I'd do, leave them here, and I'll try to write chapters for them!

Thank you so much for putting up with my flakiness, and have a great day!


	8. (AUTHOR'S NOTE)

So. I have absolutely nothing to say for myself.

I am really, really, ever so sorry. I haven't updated this fic in months, and for that, I apologise. I apologise so sincerely, and from the very bottom of my heart. However! A new chapter IS coming! Chapter 8 of this fic should be uploaded within a week of this author's note being published!

Finally, I've put together a survey for people who read fics within the Energy Children Universe series! This is just a quick thing to help me get statistics on my viewers, and help me guide the series in a direction that I feel that my fanbase (For lack of a better word, LOL) would enjoy. I recently hit 3000 views on my other fic in this universe, The Littlest Time Lady, and 3000, well... that's a damn lot! You can take the survey here: https://forms.gle/UQ5gpuAETLqPpjB79

Thank you all so much for everything! Have a great day! :D


	9. Arguments And River's Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor has problems with Amy and Rory, and River drops in for a visit.

"NO!"

And there they went again. Brilliant. The Doctor sighed to himself, standing up. Of course it would be today, of all days, that Amy and Rory decided that they hate each other's guts. He wasn't even entirely sure what had happened - all that he knew was that both of their headspaces had been very light, and Amy had teased Rory for being younger than her. Rory had basically punched Amy. The grudge, it appeared, had carried over to when they were in the "Little headspaces".

As he made his way through the TARDIS, the Doctor reflected on his prior plans for the day. He'd asked River to come around and meet Amy and Rory whilst they were in their headspaces. She already knew about Gallifreyan reproduction, so she'd agreed to come and help out for a little bit. He could only hope that maybe, just maybe, she'd be able to drum a bit of sense into his new children's heads, and he wouldn't completely lose it. As he reached the playroom, he opened the door slightly, and poked his head through.

"You'd better not be fighting in there!"

The playroom was different to the bedroom, although the TARDIS had designed both. The flooring, instead of normal carpeting, was soft and plush, and a sky-blue colour, as opposed to the rough, black carpeting in the bedroom. The entirety of one wall was a window, looking out onto a holographic landscape, which could be changed to whatever the Doctor, Amy, or Rory wanted it to be. The walls were covered in frankly adorable wallpaper, adorned with cartoon animals. The floor of the playroom was scattered with toys of every sort. Amy was kneeling on the carpet towards the centre of the room, and she dramatically pointed towards Rory, who had tucked himself up in one corner, cuddling his Arctic Fox soft toy that they'd picked up from Liberi 5.

"He pushed me!" Amy exclaimed rather dramatically, pouting.

"She tried to grab my fox!" Rory protested, huffing loudly. The Doctor sighed, entering the room.

"Don't fight, you two," He said sternly. "I don't want to have to punish either of you, but violence isn't acceptable here. Do you understand?"

Both Amy and Rory grumbled quietly, but they both nodded. The Doctor took that as a sign of acceptance, and left the room, leaving the pair to their devices. As he walked back, he considered the fact that he had nobody to consult on the business of raising a child. The Time Lords were... all gone, apart from him. The Master was gone, and so was the rest of Gallifrey. Maybe he should contact Rory's father about this. Yes, that would be a good idea. As he entered the Console Room, however, the thought vanished from his mind as he saw River enter the TARDIS at almost the exact same time.

"River!" He cheered happily, dashing towards her. "You came!"

"Down, boy!" River teased, before bringing the Doctor in for a hug. "Of course I came. This sort of thing doesn't happen every day, does it?" She commented. "How are they getting along?"

"Not well," The Doctor admitted. "They're settling into their headspaces well, and I think that Birthing might come along within a few months, but, well..."

"They hate each other?" River guessed, pulling away from the hug.

"Exactly!" The Doctor exclaimed proudly. A loud cry echoed from the playroom, and the Doctor sighed loudly. "That'll be them," He grumbled, obviously annoyed. He set off out of the room, and to his slight surprise, River followed him. She obviously wanted to see what had happened - she appeared to be just as concerned as the Doctor was. Hopefully, neither Amy nor Rory was hurt...

The Doctor and River were welcomed into the playroom by the sound of loud crying and wailing. More specifically, loud crying and wailing coming from Rory. Amy was next to him, holding her hand up in the air in the manner of somebody about to do something rather terrible. Rory scurried across the room towards the Doctor and River, and the Doctor immediately picked him up, making small, soothing noises.

"S'e... She hit m'..."

"Amy!" The Doctor scolded. "Time out! Right now! You do NOT hit your brother, is that understood?" Amy huffed quietly, but went into the corner, sitting down cross-legged with her arms crossed over her chest. River watched Amy carefully, before turning to the Doctor, who had since managed to soothe Rory into a semi-relaxed state.

"They really do hate each other," She commented. "This isn't normal sibling interaction, you know. At least you're nipping it in the bud before it can grow into anything else."

"At least," The Doctor sighed. He stood there, waiting until Amy's five-minute time-out was over, before plopping Rory down near his Arctic Fox toy, and walking over to River. The pair exited the room, but stayed vaguely nearby - just in case. Hopefully, nothing would happen, but it would never hurt to be thoroughly prepared if there was an emergency. Amy hadn't been far off from severely hurting Rory.

"You know," River commented, once they were outside. "Gallifreyans aren't the only species who raise their young like this. I have a couple of people that I can put you in contact with. It seems like you need the help."

"Really?" The Doctor asked. He was half-surprised, half-curious - he hadn't actually ever known that there were species who used APRM - Age Play Related Rearing Methods. (It was a particularly good acronym when you realised that if you rearranged the letters, it spelt out "Pram".)

"Of course!" River replied, beaming. "There are the Ilgrods, the Hisids, the Alv'eds, the Shielvul, the Droted, the Kraendroix..."

"Oh Rassilon, the Kraendroix," The Doctor groaned. "God, I forgot all about the Kraendroix. They're so... odd, aren't they? So condescending. They were condescending towards me, and I'm a Time Lord!"

"Believe me, I know," River sighed. She had, unfortunately, shared the experience of meeting a Kraendroix. They were humanoid aliens with butterfly-like wings from the planet Rewia, and - unfortunately for everybody around them - they used APRM, and were very smug about it. Nobody could escape, not even other APRM races. Not even bloody Time Lords were safe from their condescending wrath. "Anyway, shall I give you a few contacts?" As yet another shout echoed from inside the playroom, the Doctor sighed, nodding.

"Yes, please do," He replied, staring towards the playroom door. "I have a feeling that I'm going to need the help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1092 words of what's probably total idiocy. Sorry, guys.
> 
> Anyway! The poll that I posted last week showed that you guys wanted a Discord server and a Tumblr page! I haven't set up the Tumblr yet, but here's the Discord! Follow the rules, and enjoy! :D https://discord.gg/PSgBfR7
> 
> Thank you for reading this chapter, and have a great day! :D

**Author's Note:**

> Hurrah! A second fic using this concept! :D
> 
> Please comment below with ideas and criticism, and leave kudos if you enjoyed! I hope that everybody reading this has a great day! :D


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